Hospitals and other patient care facilities generate considerable quantities of medical packaging mostly in the form of plastics. It is recognized that most plastic packaging materials do not biodegrade in a reasonable period of time. As such, in 1990, 36 state legislatures introduced more than 350 bills restricting plastics use. States enacted 54 other plastics laws and local governments contemplated hundreds of other measures.
In addition to the above, the potential for biohazard contamination make medical packaging difficult to recycle. Some hospital procedures on contamination control encourage multiple-barrier packaging. Fear of infection and cross contamination has encouraged the use of disposables. In 1987, health-care manufacturers produced 559 million pounds of medical product packaging. In 1992, that number may reach 821 million pounds. Ensuring sterility and device safety makes source-reduction solutions all the more challenging.
The need for an effective way to dispose of medical waste has been highlighted by the amendment made by to 29 C.F.R. .sctn.1910.1030 which provides for the federal regulation under the Occupational Safety And Health Act, 29 U.S.C. 655, 657 to control bloodborne pathogens. Specifically, the Act calls for the establishment of an exposure control plan, the containment of specimens of blood or other potentially infectious materials and the general tightening of precautionary measures to minimize the spread of disease. A safe and effective way to dispose of hospital waste in the form of used packaging would greatly facilitate compliance with the above-referenced Act.
Consumption of medical disposable products has been growing at a rate of approximately 10% a year. In 1988, sales totaled approximately 1.155 Billion Dollars. It is projected that by 1992, sales of medical disposable non-woven products will reach 1.54 Billion Dollars.
Although there is clearly a benefit in the use of disposables in the medical arts by avoiding the necessity of human contact with medical waste which is necessary in the cleaning of comparable reusables, non-biodegradable disposables are posing problems which are only now being recognized. Landfill sites are becoming increasingly burdened with disposable packaging which does not biodegrade for hundreds of years, if ever. If landfill sites become fully exploited, new sites must be found which are rightfully opposed by residents located proximate disposal site locations.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide packaging which is capable of being disposed of after use while avoiding additional burdens being placed on landfill disposal sites.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide packaging and its method of disposal such that the packaging can be solubilized and sterilized in a single operation.
These and further objects will be more readily appreciated while considering the following disclosure and appended claims.